Friday, June 23, 2017

Ship Collision Update

The Washington Free Beacon reports the latest info on the collision of the destroyer USS Fitzgerald with the container ship ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan. A key point: the container ship appears to have been proceeding on autopilot with no one manning the bridge, or indeed awake at the time of the collision.

There is still no information suggesting how a warship like the Fitzgerald could have failed to be aware of the Crystal's approach. Such ships routinely have multiple people on duty looking at radar and other data inputs when sailing.

I expect an eventual Board of Inquiry will find fault with the handling of both vessels.